1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooling apparatus for an XY gantry, and more particularly to a cooling apparatus which cools an X-axis and Y-axis linear motors used when linear motors are employed for the XY gantry adapted to travel on the plane to perform works.
2. Description of the Conventional Art
An XY gantry is used in various kinds of machine tools, parts assembling apparatus, etc., which travel on the plane defined by an X-axis and Y-axis for performing predetermined works. For example, the XY gantry is used in high-speed, accurate surface mounting apparatus for performing picking up and transferring of the parts and accurately guiding the moved parts to a printed circuit board (PCB) for their surface mounting.
With reference to the accompanying drawings, the XY gantry will be explained which guides in traveling on the X-Y plane. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the XY gantry. As shown in FIG. 1, the XY gantry includes an X-axis linear motor 10 and a Y-axis linear motor 20. The Y-axis linear motor 20 is disposed to travel along the Y-axis in the plane. The X-axis linear motor 10 disposed on a frame 30 bridging two Y-axis linear motors 20 travels along the X-axis in the plane to be moved to a predetermined position designated on the plane. The X-axis and Y-axis linear motors 10, 20 which are moved to the designated position on the plane consist of stator elements 11, 21 and moving elements 12, 22, respectively.
The stator elements 11, 21 have a plurality of permanent magnets 11a, 21a arranged inside U-shaped frames 11b, 21b, while the moving elements 12, 22 have armature frames 12b, 22b and coil blocks 12a, 22a. 
The X-axis and Y-axis linear motors 10, 20 provide propelling power generated between the coil blocks 12a, 22a and each of the plurality of permanent magnets 11a, 21a, when a current is supplied to each of the coil blocks 12a, 22a. The propelling power allows the moving elements 12, 22 to be moved to the position designated on the plane defined by the X-axis and Y-axis.
In case the conventional XY gantry employs the X-axis and Y-axis linear motors 10, 20, the supply of a current into each of the coil blocks 12a, 22a is needed to be moved to the designated position along the X-axis and Y-axis in the plane. A large amount of heat is generated from the coil blocks 12a, 22a to which the current is supplied.
There occurred problems in that heat generated from each of the coil blocks 12a, 22a constituting the X-axis and Y-axis linear motors 10, 20 weakens the propelling power of each of moving elements 12, 22, or further causes malfunction of devices (not shown) for driving the linear motors.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to solve problems mentioned above, by providing a cooling apparatus for cooling heat generated from coil blocks by using air introduced through a plurality of through-holes formed in X-axis and Y-axis liner motor employed in a XY gantry which travels on a plane defined by an X-axis and Y-axis to perform predetermined works.
To accomplish an object of the present invention, a cooling apparatus for the XY gantry is provided which comprises: X-axis and Y-axis linear motors having respective stator element and moving element, the stator element and moving element having through-holes formed in one side thereof so that external air is introduced therethrough to flow along surface of coil blocks included in the respective moving element of the X-axis and Y-axis linear motors, thereby cooling heat generated from the coil blocks.
According to the present invention, an advantage is provided in that heat generated from each of the coil blocks can be cooled by air flowing through the air passages provided by respective through-holes of the X- and Y-axis linear motors applied to the XY gantry,